Over the past few years, the Midwest Haunters Convention has really gained momentum in the Haunted Attraction Industry. MHC has a lot to offer, including an extensive list of workshops and seminars, along with a sizable trade show, product demos, contests, masquerade ball and other fun social activities.

There was a nice variety of products this year on the trade show floor. While the majority of the vendors at MHC were haunt-specific companies, others provided support products/services for Haunted Attractions, like special event insurance, wristbands and online ticket sales. There were several vendors in attendance that were new, that I had never seen before. The following are just a few of the many things that seemed to stand out on the show floor:

- Black’s Electric demonstrated their new video sunglasses,
i-Kam Xtreme, which would be perfect for haunted house security personnel. With
three sets of interchangeable lenses included in the package, they can record hours of video, even in low light situations. At the booth, they showed a video that was taken with the glasses in Transworld’s Dark Zone and it was much higher quality than I would have expected, for such a small camera.

- Dark Raven Designs had enhanced their line of animatronic spiders with a yellow, spotted pattern, making them stand out and look even more realistic. Also new were some bloody static characters on display that were impaled on sharp spikes.

- Hollywood FX introduced some great blood products that were realistic in texture and color, in both liquid and dried form.

- The Raven’s Wolf booth really stood out at the show. Tall archways of “rock” walls, like what you would see in a cave, were constructed to encompass their booth space and highlight their expanded line of products, which included t-shirts, distressed costumes, wall art and more. Raven’s Wolf also offers design services for Haunted Attractions.

- Along with the liquid latex and other products that they carry, Screamline Studios brought 13 new weapon styles to
MHC. With their high-quality construction and very realistic appearance, they are my favorite weapon replicas in the Haunt Industry, hands down.

Overall, it was a really fun show! It has been, and still remains, my favorite show in the Haunted Attraction Industry!

Special thanks to show organizers Barry Schieferstein, Kathy Schieferstein, Kelly Collins & Neena Collins for putting together such a great event.